TEXAS: 2017: 78-84, tied for third place.
MANAGER: Jeff Banister (fourth season).
ADDITIONS: LHP Mike Minor, LHP Matt Moore, RHP Doug Fister, RHP Jesse Chavez, RHP Bartolo Colon, 1B Tommy Joseph.
SUBTRACTIONS: 1B-DH Mike Napoli, CF Carlos Gomez, RHP Andrew Cashner, RHP Jason Grilli, RHP A.J. Griffin, LHP Dario Alvarez.
OUTLOOK: AL West champs in each of Banister's first two seasons, the Rangers are coming off their second losing season in nine years. With most of their everyday lineup back, they should be able to hit and score runs again. But in a division with the defending World Series champs and other improved teams, Texas must depend on a revamped rotation ' maybe using six starters in some variation ' and the hope that its bullpen will be drastically improved. The Rangers scored 799 runs last year and ranked third in the majors with 237 homers. Seven returning players had at least 17. That group is led by Gallo, now the primary first baseman after playing three positions in his first full big league season. Hamels, the clear No. 1 starter now that Yu Darvish is gone, missed seven weeks in 2017 with an oblique strain and threw fewer than 200 innings for the first time since 2009. Perez could unexpectedly be ready for opening day after breaking his non-pitching elbow in a mishap on his ranch in Venezuela before Christmas. Fister didn't pitch his first major league game last season until June, and Minor hasn't started since 2014 with the Braves.

CHI WHITE SOX: 2017: 67-95, fourth place.
MANAGER: Rick Renteria (second season).
ADDITIONS: RHP Miguel Gonzalez, C Welington Castillo.
SUBTRACTIONS: LHP Derek Holland, RHP Mike Pelfrey, RHP Al Alburquerque, RHP Jake Petricka, C Geovany Soto, OF-2B Alen Hanson, RHP Zach Putnam.
OUTLOOK: For a team with five straight losing seasons and a record that ranked among baseball's worst last year, the White Sox are generating plenty of buzz. That's because they're loaded with promising young players after going all-in on a rebuild prior to last season. The moves have sparked a belief that better days are ahead. Moncada and hard-throwing pitchers Giolito and Lopez showed promise in the majors last season. Right-hander Michael Kopech, outfielder Eloy Jimenez and outfielder Luis Robert are elite prospects on their way in the minors. Garcia, coming off a breakout season, is looking to prove he's not a one-hit wonder. Anderson hopes to bounce back from a trying season in which a close friend was shot to death. Abreu is back after the slugger was viewed as a potential trade candidate this winter. Left-hander Carlos Rodon is expected to be out until at least June following shoulder surgery last September. It's not clear when he'll be ready. Rodon also was sidelined at the start a year ago because of shoulder and biceps problems. The big question is whether he'll ever develop into the pitcher the White Sox envisioned when they drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2014.

PREVIEW

Hamels starts opener as Rangers visit White Sox

Two last-place teams will look to create some positive feelings when the Texas Rangers visit the Chicago White Sox to open a four-game series starting Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Texas (17-27) endured a tough start to the year but has played better of late with three wins in its past five games. The Rangers are coming off a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chicago (10-29) has lost nine of its past 10 games. The team expected to take another step forward in its rebuilding process this season, but instead it has the worst record in baseball.

"Baseball has tremendous peaks and valleys," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said to the Chicago Tribune. "We're trying to come out of the valley and start to level off. Get to 30,000 feet and ride for a few hours."

Anything above the cellar would count as progress for the White Sox.

Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels (2-4, 3.48 ERA) will make his 10th start of the season. The 34-year-old was sharp his last time out as he tossed six scoreless innings while giving up only one hit in a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros. He has 57 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

In four career starts against the White Sox, Hamels is 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA. He has pitched well in Chicago -- both the North Side and the South Side -- throughout his career, including a no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 2015.

White Sox right-hander James Shields (1-4, 5.44) will try to pick up his first victory since Opening Day on March 29 against the Kansas City Royals. The 36-year-old is looking to bounce back from his most recent outing Saturday in which he allowed five runs in six innings against the Chicago Cubs.

In 15 career starts against Texas, Shields is 7-3 with a 2.70 ERA. He has struck out 92 batters in 106 2/3 innings. The veteran's most recent outing against the Rangers took place in 2017, when he allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

One of the White Sox's hottest hitters is Jose Abreu, who has hit safely in nine of his past 10 games. During that span, he is batting .366 (15-for-41) with four doubles, one home run and eight RBIs.

The Rangers feature a feast-or-famine power hitter in Joey Gallo, who leads the club with 13 homers in 43 games. However, Gallo is hitting only .200 with 61 strikeouts in 160 at-bats.

Texas will be without star third baseman Adrian Beltre, who returned to the disabled list after he aggravated a hamstring injury. Beltre spent only five days with the team between stints on the disabled list.

"Unfortunately, any time you lose your team leader who is fresh off the DL, of course it has a significant impact," Rangers assistant general manager Josh Boyd told reporters.

This marks the first meeting between the teams this season. In 2017, the White Sox won the season series, 4-3.